Source: http://www.sideroad.com/Information_Product/ebook-format-pdf.html

Last week, someone asked me to recommend a good e-book generator. It’s a question I get a lot. And I told him what I tell everyone: forget e-book generators. Instead, create your e-books and other print documents in PDF format.

Why choose PDF over a special e-book format?

Familiarity and Ease of Use
Nearly everyone with a computer has Adobe’s *free reader on their machine and knows how to use it. The same cannot be said for the proprietary e-book formats. E-book files create a learning curve for your customer as they try to familiarize themselves with document set-up, navigation and functionality that they may *never have encountered before. That’s work. Who wants to do extra work to use a product?

Trust Factor
E-book formats may require that customers install new files on their machine to read the book. Some e-book files are delivered as .exe files, which are notorious for their ability to carry *nasty viruses. Your file may not be an .exe and it might be clean as a whistle, but customers may be reluctant to install the files anyway. The PDF format is well-known and trusted. No mysterious installations, no viruses.

Readable by Anyone
PDF is a universal format that can be read on any type of computer. Most e-book generators create files that can only be read on PCs, leaving your Mac and Linux customers out in the cold.

File Stability
PDF documents have a far smaller chance of containing technical glitches. An e-book I once downloaded wouldn’t forward through the chapters properly. Sometimes I’d *click on a chapter title and get a blank page, or only the first page. The problems only got worse over time. I’ve *never had such problems with a PDF document and the files remain stable over time.

What About Security?
What about security and preventing file theft, you say? This is a common concern among e-book publishers and often the reason they go searching for an e-book generator in the first place.

To those people I say: piracy happens. No matter what format you create your e-book in, if someone is intent on stealing it, they will find a way to do so.

Publishers focused on tightly locking up their material often end up creating barriers between themselves and *legitimate paying customers. For example, you might decide to lock the print function so that people can’t print and photocopy your content. Then a paying customer who doesn’t want to read the whole thing on screen tries to print it out and can’t. They get frustrated. Frustrations don’t lead to more *sales or good customer relations.

I’m not saying you turn a blind eye to large-scale theft. To maintain your copyright, you do need to pursue people who are trying to pass off your content as theirs, reproduce whole pieces of your work in their work without permission, sell your materials without permission, or give them away on a large scale (say, as a *free public download from their web site). But if someone wants to share their e-book with their sister, it will happen anyway. In my opinion, trying to track down and stop these pass-alongs will cause you more time, *money and grief than it’s worth.

If you really want to use security functions such as password protection or locking the print function, they’re available in PDF anyway. Just be aware of the compromises you might be making in your ability to truly serve your paying customers.

A Case in Point
Some of you will know that I used to give away a free e-book with each subscription to my e-zine. But I stopped doing that in October 2004 because I was having many of the problems I’ve just described – it was an .exe file, Mac users couldn’t read it, and some people had trouble opening the file.

The publisher didn’t offer a PDF version so I pulled the book altogether. I’m now developing a special report of my own – in PDF format – that I can offer to new subscribers instead.

Jennifer Tribe is the president of Juiced Consulting, a company that helps business owners turn their expertise into money-making information products like books, special reports, teleclasses, and audiotapes and CDs. Jennifer holds a degree in journalism and has worked extensively as a writer and editor. Her articles on information products have been published in Management Magazine, Home Business Magazine, BusinessWoman Canada, and other leading publications. Subscribe to her free e-zine, Infopreneuring Strategies, at www.juiced consulting.com.

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Source: http://www.sideroad.com/Information_Product/free-book-marketing.html

You have a great story idea you’re sure everyone will want to read. You manage to put it down on paper, pass it around various places, and get it published. Congratulations! Now the fun begins.

To be a great writer is an innate gift. To be a great writer whose work people actually read, you have to have yet another talent: marketing. Someone once said selling a book involves 5% really great writing and 95% even better marketing. Look at any bestseller list, and you will see what I say is true: unless your last name is Grisham, you’ll need to do a lot of footwork first.

The good news is you can do a lot of marketing on a shoestring budget. With the advent of the Internet, reaching your target audience has never been easier. Think you can’t spread the word about your great new release cheaply and fast? Think again!

The most important thing is to know your target audience. It wouldn’t make sense to pitch your book to an auto mechanic’s magazine editor if you’ve written a book about quilting. Once you have determined your readership, it’s time to get creative.

Book signings at local bookstores can add to your profile as a local author. Contact the store manager with a press release and a copy of your book in hand. If you are marketing a children’s book, make certain that there is a children’s section in the bookstore in which you are doing the book signing. Again, knowing the target audience of the bookstore can assist you in getting a “yes” from the store owner versus a “rather not”. Once the book signing date is secured, tell the world about it!

Internet radio is a relatively new medium. Do an internet search to determine which programs suit you. Ask around or notice other people’s message posts. When they announce an upcoming radio interview that addresses your target audience, check out the station’s Web site. I have secured many interviews by watching others succeed first.

Networking is an important factor in making yourself and your work known. There are many social networking sites which are generous and helpful, that allow you to network with all kinds of people for free.

There are also several free press release services which get your news on the web fast and free. Most offer the option to pay for additional exposure: The more you pay, obviously, the more you will be exposed to the right eyes. I actually opted for the free service on one major site, and got my very first fan e-mail that way. A side benefit is that your release will then appear on the major search engines which is more free exposure.

Providing webmasters and ezine publishers with free, well-written articles can be an extremely powerful marketing tool. Within four months, I have been published in over one-hundred twenty publications both on- and off-line due to this method of marketing. In addition, it is a great way to reach your target audience because your Web link and bio are included with every article.

An added benefit to the ezine approach is the network that you are able to create. I have two regular columns at women’s Web sites because they used one of my free articles, and I offered to provide them with more. In addition, after using my articles, several Web sites have placed my book in their bookstores or on their recommended reading lists simply because I asked!

Author interviews are a great way to get exposure. Unfortunately, much like book reviews, they can be hard to get. I created a simple Q&A about my book which I would attach to follow-up e-mails to reviewers and the like. On several occasions, webmasters were grateful that I saved them the time of “having to interview me”. They would simply post my Q&A on their sites. Viola! An instant author interview was born.

Contacting your local paper for a feature article about your accomplishments will often lead to great publicity. After landing a page-length article in my hometown paper, I managed to receive e-mails from old high school friends that I hadn’t seen in ten years. People tend to buy your book if they know a bit about you, the author.

The short of it is this: set a goal, write it down, and put it where you can see it. You can achieve your dreams if you have it in front of you at all times. If there is a will, there truly is a way.

Christine Louise Hohlbaum is the author of several books, including a turn-key marketing program, The Author’s Companion: A Self-Guided Course on Book Promotion. She has been published in over 120 publications and offers affordable PR consulting for authors. www.authors companion.com.

Read all advice by Christine Hohlbaum; Find more Information Product experts

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Source: http://www.freearticles.com/article/A-New-Approach-In-Selling-E-Books/3811

Ebook creation and marketing have become a very profitable business because of the various aspects from which you can make and generate income. Since there are hundreds of thousands of ebooks available online, it is important that you have the right techniques to get readers attention for successful sales. Affiliate ebook marketing can save you a lot of time and money.

A Brief Definition

An affiliate ebook is an online publication wherein affiliates can attach their names or have the rights to resell the product after they receive it from you or the originator. The method is still a part of affiliate marketing and is relatively easy and simple. However, it is important that the persons handling the product know how to sell and advertise or else ebook creation and marketing will just go to waste.

Usually, promoted items in affiliate links are provided or distributed as free reads. Although affiliates or the ebook owner cannot possibly generate income from the free provision of ebooks, they can still get bigger incomes from advertisements and links within the content itself. Product affiliate links can then be posted inside ebooks for a fee. Make sure you develop cheaper ways to market your ebook. As it grows in popularity, more and more affiliates and individuals will be willing to pay you for a referral or link to help them drive their target market.

More Affiliate Tips

Strategically position and distribute leads and links to guarantee huge traffic. Study how the public responds to available connections and determine how one approach works from another. Affiliate text links should go together with graphical links since a number of studies have shown that more online users click on embedded text links found in the content than graphical images or banners found on covers and other obvious areas. Keywords may be more effective than simply pushing click. Use the links and keywords as natural parts of sentences and the content.

Site visitors have begun to up their standards in terms of viewing possible affiliate links since there are already so many affiliate marketing advertisements and schemes present on the Web. You need to be consistent in your techniques to improve ebook creation and marketing. Ensure that content remains sound so that people can actually draw useful information and bookmark your site or page for future references. Improve your search engine rankings to drive the right traffic. Continually update visitors and clients for return transactions through newsletters, emails and forums.

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Source: http://adzines.com/Book-Marketing-Articles/Ready-Set-Go-Sell-Your-Book-In-The-Real-World/6429

We hear a lot these days about more books actually being sold ‘outside’ the traditional bookstore. Think about it. When was the last time you actually took time to linger and explore the bookshelves? When did you last impulsively grab a book, flip it over, read the blurbs, and finger through a few chapters? Let’s face it, most of us are too hurried.

So What’s The Point?

If you don’t take the time to browse, why expect your potential customer to do so?

Try This:

Grab about five copies of your book, and head for the “Ma and Pa” stores in your hometown area. Pick a time when you know it won’t be too busy. Talk to the owner or manager. Ask him if you may set up a small display on his counter. Offer him a percentage of each sale.

Get Impulsive!

Go for the impulse buyers! Haven’t you at one time, while waiting at a cash register, seen a small display of books on the counter? Before it was your turn to get checked out, you grabbed it, became excited, and added it to your other purchases? Maybe it was a novel set in your locale. People love reading tales taking place in their familiar surroundings.

They think, “Oh, I’ve driven that road! I know where it is!

Where’s the next landmark? Have to find out!” They feel they become a “part” of it.

Is your book set in your region? Try your local gift shops, bed and breakfast inns, pharmacies, hair salon, even the little “quick stops.” You get the picture.

Is the hero in your book of Italian descent? Is there a lot of ethnicity? Head for the specialty shops like that little corner deli. Pesto. Gnochi. Fresh-baked focaccia. Get your book on that counter!

Maybe kayaking through turbulent river rapids is a large part of your novel. Or sky diving, race car driving, hang gliding, deep sea diving. Head on out to the sporting goods stores.

Whatever, go for it. Take control.

Another Idea

Grab your books and get a booth at the local festivals taking place in and around your area. Maybe share one with an author friend. In my area, there are different festivals every weekend throughout the summer and early fall. In the winter, many craft fairs. Think “thousands of potential customers!”

What Are You Waiting For?

I know you’re thinking, “But I only want to write!” That may be so. Promoting is time consuming. But what’s the alternative? Your book just sets there and gathers dust. So ease on out of that chair, and head on out. Let people know about your book. Talk it up. Readers who love your book will add another dimension to your promotion – word-of-mouth advertising!

Start Small and Think Big

Some stores you approach may not work! Granted. But you’ll get the ball rolling and your mind spinning. “Where else can I sell my book?” You’ll find yourself eyeing every little store as a possibility, while driving your car or strolling the sidewalks of your hometown. Who knows, you may even become your hometown’s next “celebrity!” Give it a try!

About The Author

Mary Holzrichter

Do you enjoy reading quality fast paced action novels? Do you like to write them? Either way, visit http://ActionTales.com. We offer some great titles for readers and an unbeatable publishing deal for authors.

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